The most common phrase repeated during the Porter’s Center for Global Leadership (PCGL) Voices of Leadership program at Bishop Strachan School in Toronto was “I didn’t realize a leader…” As the participants moved through the activities on identity, networking, and models of changemaking, they realized that their vision of leadership was not making enough room for them to authentically show up in the present, as young high school students. Instead, like many young women, they imagined that a leader has every skill perfected, can take on every role in an organization or movement, makes the largest impact on everyone in a community, and does it all without any fear.
The week was designed to highlight the idea at the root of all PCGL programs: that girls and women of all ages can lead lives of impact, integrity, and courage.
There is no timetable or perfect manifestation of that idea because we’re each following our unique passions in a world that needs different types of leaders to solve complex problems.
In one of the opening sessions, participants looked at a few different models of social change. Deepa Iyer’s Social Change Ecosystem map created space for the realization that leadership often means bringing together the people that are most well-suited for the task at hand. In the map, she explores how roles like the weaver, visionary, healer, and disrupter can be joined in common purpose, guided by their shared values. During the discussion, participants responded to the question, “What does the model ask of a leader?” They recognized that there is no one way to be a leader, that multiple skills can contribute to solutions for big problems, and that when leaders prioritize inclusivity, they make room for many perspectives in the process of change. That discussion before lunch on the first day helped everyone to exhale! We were not there to ask them to be one way, to fit a particular mold, or to change everything about themselves in order to be seen by others as worthy of the responsibilities of leadership.
We also looked carefully at the different skills and values that contribute to success in leadership, using them to contextualize what the guest speakers shared about their journeys and map out how the participants would like to set their own trajectories. First-person narratives from women at various stages of their professional careers combined with tools to explore how identity intersects with social systems built a lot of self-awareness and -confidence. They heard about humility, an understanding of context, sustainability, and the importance of making a commitment with longevity. Using the JusticexDesign principles, — which foreground a “critical sensitivity to design” and “critical maker empowerment,” — participants practiced observation, synthesis, and systems-level thinking through a Take Apart centering the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Ontario, and a neighborhood walk identifying hostile architecture, as described by Canadian researcher Cara Chellew. They gathered tangible evidence of the impact of the choices of leadership, while also identifying points of intervention and change.
There were many more realizations about how to be a leader, now. By the end of the week, as participants shared their own voices of leadership, they spoke about making change this school year, learning to be open to meaningful feedback, valuing underappreciated strengths, and seeing themselves as leaders, with and without specific titles in school and community groups. Read what some of the participants had to say about their experience:
The program, as designed and facilitated by PCGL, was an opportunity to expand girls’ definition of leadership to make room for their authentic selves and to lay the groundwork for their future roles. The concepts and exercises of the program reflect the mission and vision of PCGL programming and can be tailored to meet the needs of other school communities that would like to serve as hosts.
Take a peek inside a day in the life of a camper at the Institute for Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship.
Take a look inside what it’s like to be a camper at Summer in Farmington’s Sarah Porter Leadership Institute!
Leadership skills are crucial for success in today’s world. Girls who develop these skills are better equipped to make positive changes in
Our mission is to provide access to innovative programming, skill development, and networking opportunities for girls and women of all ages and in all places that allow them to lead lives of impact on a global stage.
Porter’s Center for Global Leadership provides in-person and online educational leadership programs, workshops, courses and networking opportunities for girls and women.
Porter’s Center for Global Leadership
60 Main Street • Farmington, CT 06032 • 860-409-3789
PCGL@missporters.org
Sample schedule, subject to change
8:00 a.m. – Wake up
8:30 a.m. – Breakfast and 1-on-1 check-ins for International+ campers
9:30 a.m. – Tech Meets Art: Exploring the Digital Canvas
12:30 p.m. – Lunch
1:30 p.m. – AI Artistry: Redfining Creativity
3:00 p.m. – Camper free time (down time in dorm, snacks at the Daisy, change for afternoon activities)
3:45 p.m. – Gather & Go
4:00 p.m. – Afternoon activities
5:30 p.m. – Dinner
6:30 p.m. – Evening activity (kickball tournament)
8:30 p.m. – Dorm meeting and games
9:30 p.m. – Relax and prepare for bed
10:00 p.m. – Lights out
Sample schedule, subject to change
8:00 a.m. – Wake up
8:30 a.m. – Breakfast and 1-on-1 check-ins for International+ campers
9:30 a.m. – Unpacking Human-centered Design
12:30 p.m. – Lunch
1:30 p.m. – Idea to Impact: Prototyping for Change
3:00 p.m. – Camper free time (down time in dorm, snacks at the Daisy, change for afternoon activities)
3:45 p.m. – Gather & Go
4:00 p.m. – Afternoon activities
5:30 p.m. – Dinner
6:30 p.m. – Evening activity (Color Wars)
8:30 p.m. – Dorm meeting and games
9:30 p.m. – Relax and prepare for bed
10:00 p.m. – Lights out
Sample schedule, subject to change
8:00 a.m. – Wake up
8:30 a.m. – Breakfast and 1-on-1 check-ins for International+ campers
9:30 a.m. – The Politics of Peacekeeping
12:30 p.m. – Lunch
1:30 p.m. – Speak Up! Engaging in Respectful Conversations
3:00 p.m. – Camper free time (down time in dorm, snacks at the Daisy, change for afternoon activities)
3:45 p.m. – Gather & Go
4:00 p.m. – Afternoon activities
5:30 p.m. – Dinner
6:30 p.m. – Evening activity (movie night)
8:30 p.m. – Dorm meeting and games
9:30 p.m. – Relax and prepare for bed
10:00 p.m. – Lights out
Sample schedule, subject to change
8:00 a.m. – Wake up
8:30 a.m. – Breakfast and 1-on-1 check-ins for International+ campers
9:30 a.m. – Opportunities and Challenges of Globalization
12:30 p.m. – Lunch
1:30 p.m. – Global Goals in Action: Understanding the UN’s Path to Sustainability
3:00 p.m. – Camper free time (down time in dorm, snacks at the Daisy, change for afternoon activities)
3:45 p.m. – Gather & Go
4:00 p.m. – Afternoon activities
5:30 p.m. – Dinner
6:30 p.m. – Evening activity (campfire, S’mores, and yard games)
8:30 p.m. – Dorm meeting and games
9:30 p.m. – Relax and prepare for bed
10:00 p.m. – Lights out
Sample schedule, subject to change
8:00 a.m. – Wake up
8:30 a.m. – Breakfast and 1-on-1 check-ins for International+ campers
9:30 a.m. – Exploring Connecticut’s Ecosystems
12:30 p.m. – Lunch
1:30 p.m. – Farmington River Study
3:00 p.m. – Camper free time (down time in dorm, snacks at the Daisy, change for afternoon activities)
3:45 p.m. – Gather & Go
4:00 p.m. – Afternoon activities
5:30 p.m. – Dinner
6:30 p.m. – Evening activity (Talent Show)
8:30 p.m. – Dorm meeting and games
9:30 p.m. – Relax and prepare for bed
10:00 p.m. – Lights out
Sample schedule, subject to change
8:00 a.m. – Wake up
8:30 a.m. – Breakfast and 1-on-1 check-ins for International+ campers
9:30 a.m. – Naming Your Purpose, Knowing Your Path
12:30 p.m. – Lunch
1:30 p.m. – Frameworks for Social Change
3:00 p.m. – Camper free time (down time in dorm, snacks at the Daisy, change for afternoon activities)
3:45 p.m. – Gather & Go
4:00 p.m. – Afternoon activities
5:30 p.m. – Dinner
6:30 p.m. – Evening activity (Guest speaker followed by bonfire and S’mores)
8:30 p.m. – Dorm meeting and games
9:30 p.m. – Relax and prepare for bed
10:00 p.m. – Lights out
Sample schedule, subject to change
8:00 a.m. – Wake up
8:30 a.m. – Breakfast and 1-on-1 check-ins for International+ campers
9:30 a.m. – Life in Balance: Exploring the Seven Elements of Wellness
12:30 p.m. – Lunch
1:30 p.m. – Element 1: Physical – Creative Movement Workshop
3:00 p.m. – Camper free time (down time in dorm, snacks at the Daisy, change for afternoon activities)
3:45 p.m. – Gather & Go
4:00 p.m. – Afternoon activities
5:30 p.m. – Dinner
6:30 p.m. – Evening activity (Talent Show!)
8:30 p.m. – Dorm meeting and games
9:30 p.m. – Relax and prepare for bed
10:00 p.m. – Lights out
Sample schedule, subject to change
8:00 a.m. – Wake up
8:30 a.m. – Breakfast and 1-on-1 check-ins for International+ campers
9:30 a.m. – Lead & Lean: Harnessing Collaborative Strength
12:30 p.m. – Lunch
1:30 p.m. – Trust Tower Challenge
3:00 p.m. – Camper free time (down time in dorm, snacks at the Daisy, change for afternoon activities)
3:45 p.m. – Gather & Go
4:00 p.m. – Afternoon activities
5:30 p.m. – Dinner
6:30 p.m. – Evening activity (Color Wars!)
8:30 p.m. – Dorm meeting and games
9:30 p.m. – Relax and prepare for bed
10:00 p.m. – Lights out
Sample schedule, subject to change
8:00 a.m. – Wake up
8:30 a.m. – Breakfast and 1-on-1 check-ins for International+ campers
9:30 a.m. – Leadership Compass: Finding Your Direction
12:30 p.m. – Lunch
1:30 p.m. – Blueprint for Leaders: What Sets them Apart?
3:00 p.m. – Camper free time (down time in dorm, snacks at the Daisy, change for afternoon activities)
3:45 p.m. – Gather & Go
4:00 p.m. – Afternoon activities
5:30 p.m. – Dinner
6:30 p.m. – Evening activity (campfire, S’mores and yard games)
8:30 p.m. – Dorm meeting and games
9:30 p.m. – Relax and prepare for bed
10:00 p.m. – Lights out
